Missing links
by Regularamanda
Summary: Missing links in Jack and Sam's relationship.There were so many possibilities for scenes between those two characters, and Ive decided to write some of the scenes that could have happened. There will be a tag to each episode or most episodes
1. Scientists

**Set after **_**Children of the Gods**_

**Scientists**

Colonel Jonathan "Jack" O'Neill had not one but two scientist on his team. And yet him and the other teams had been able to escape from Apophis's prison relatively unharmed. Except of course for the fact that Doctor Daniel Jackson's wife and brother in law hadn't been able to escape with them. Hammond told them that the briefing was going to be at 0730, giving them a few hours to rest. 'Just peachy', Jack thought to himself as he and his fellow teammates put away their gear into the lockers.

Jack's eyes scanned his teammates and his gaze fell on a one Doctor-Captain Samantha Carter. Jack had nothing against women serving in the military or with him for that matter, but she made him nervous. Any man with eyes could see that Captain Carter was a beautiful woman and though almost his height, she looked fragile. And she was going to be on his team, he tried not to let his mind think of all the possible trouble that could happen with a beautiful blue eyed women like her, off world.

~*~*~*~

Captain Carter lifted her eyes at just that moment and caught Jack O'Neill staring…at her. She swallowed and tried, in vain, to stop herself from wondering why he was looking at her like that.

Sam cleared her throat. "So Colonel looks like you're going to be stuck with a scientist for awhile."

"Yes so it seems." Jack said closing his locker and walking past her.

"I'm sorry, sir that you dislike scientists but I'm a very competent soldier as well, sir." Carter said following him out of the locker room.

"Oh, I'm sure you are but I've found that whenever theres scientists around, it tends to lead to trouble."

"Trouble, sir?" Carter asking looking at him inquisitively.

"Yes, you see they tend to speak a lot of techno babble which makes it hard to understand said scientists."

"We confuse you?" Carter said smiling at him. Jack stopped walking and turned around and was caught off guard by Sam's mega watt smile.

"Yes Captain" Jack said with a small smile of his own.

"Ah. Well sir I will try to refrain from that in the future"

"Oh I'm sure you'll try your best not to Captain." Jack said teasingly as he continued walking down the hall. "Well Carter, General Hammond ordered us to get some sleep before the debriefing in the morning, so this is my stop"

"Well good night sir, I'm looking forward to working with you." She said.

"The feeling is mutual"

This earned a small smile from Sam and a nod of her head as she turned and headed to her own quarters.

~*~*~*~

'Oh yes' Jack thought as he watched her leave, he was definitely in for a heap of trouble with the beautiful Captain Carter. Jack grinned to himself and closed the door. He's never looked forward to something this much in a long time.


	2. A Friendship was Forged

**Set after **_**The Enemy Within**_

**A Friendship was Forged**

'Could this day get any worse?' Jack O'Neill thought to himself while taking a long swig of the beer in his hand as he plopped down on one of his patio chairs. 'D'oh! Yes it could' Jack thought as glanced at his driveway, noticing his 2IC's car pulling into his driveway. 'Great a pep talk' Jack thought sarcastically.

~*~*~*~

Captain Samantha Carter knew that it probably wasn't the wisest thing to do, showing up at her CO's house, at night, unannounced. Heck it probably violated the Frat Regs. But after a day like today Jack O'Neill, whether he knew it or not, needed someone by his side, especially after the loss that the SGC had experienced. Sam got out of her car and walked up to his house, knocking on the door.

"Colonel" Sam said in way of a greeting. "Sir, can I come in?" she asked after a brief moment of waiting. Jack finally opened the door.

"Good evening Colonel." Sam said a little bit awkwardly

"Captain…Are you aware of what time it is?"

"Yes sir its 1930"

"Well might I ask as to what you are doing on my doorstep?" Jack said lifting one of his eyebrows at her.

"Well I thought after today you uh might need a friend sir and neither one of us is going to get much sleep tonight…I'm sorry this is a bad idea, I should probably.."

"Your right Carter, come on in" Jack said beckoning her to follow him.

"You know Colonel what happened today wasn't your.." Sam stopped suddenly when she noticed his resignation papers laying on the coffee table. "With all due respect sir you can't really mean to resign, what happened today was terrible but.."

Jack glanced briefly at the papers and headed outside to his patio. Sam followed him and sat down next to him. "What happened today was my fault and because of that, Major Kawalsky is dead." Jack admitted.

"Sir it wasn't your fault."

"Yes Captain, it WAS. I gave Teal'c the order to hold him there while the stargate shut down." Jack said getting angry now.

"Yes but no one would want to live like that"

~*~*~*~

Jack briefly remembered what Kawalsky had said to him before he had started to undergo the operation, that he wanted to come back as himself or not at all.

"He was the closest thing I had to a best friend, Captain." Jack said with a sigh, his anger forgotten.

"I know that, sir, which is why I'm here."

"Oh?" he said.

"You shouldn't be alone right now, you should have stayed on base, Colonel." Sam said gently, hoping she hadn't stepped out of line.

"Yes well their beer is just not to my liking ." Jack said having momentarily forgetting about the Guinness. He looked at it and put it down on the table, it didn't take away the pain anyway. "Oh uh sorry Carter would you like one?"

"No thank you sir" She said with a small smile.

"So.." Jack said, the moment turning awkward with nothing to say. "As you can see I'm fine"

"Sir with all due respect, no your not."

"Listen Carter I'm not much for small talk"

"I know that Colonel." Sam said glancing around his backyard and suddenly noticing a telescope set up. "I wasn't aware you liked astronomy." She said smiling broadly at him.

"Well I'm not a space geek like you, but yeah I do have a thing for it" Jack said teasing her, the first beginnings of a smile playing across his lips.

"Would you mind if I took a look at it?" She said with the look in her eyes that

Charlie always used to get whenever they were around anything involving baseball.

"Oh for cryin' out loud, go check it out"

Her smile turned into a full fledged grin as she went over to examine it. "Very nice model sir, you can see a lot with this, you see the lens in it allows the light.."

"Ah! Captain I know how it works."

"Oh, im sure sir but you see they came up with a new design which magnifies the objects up to…"

"Carter!" Jack said holding up a hand. "I thought you promised no techno babble?"

"Well sir this isn't techno babble." She said smiling innocently.

"It's still geeky Carter and the only reason I have the telescope is because it's cool."

"You do know sir that you just used the word 'geeky' and 'cool' in the same sentence?"

Jack gave her a blank look. "D'oh!" he said going to stand next to her. Jack turned his head to stare up at the seemingly twinkling lights in the night sky. "You know Carter it doesn't really matter that we've been to other planets this." waving his hand at the sky "Just never ceases to amaze me."

Sam as well turned her face up to the heavens and smiled softly. "Your right sir nothing ever truly beats this sight."

"You know Carter Kawalsky used to love just taking in the night sky."

Carter turned to face him "He did?"

Sad brown eyes landed on bright blue ones. "Yeah, everytime we were on a mission at night when we stopped to rest he'd just stare up there in complete silence with only nature and his thoughts" Jack said with a smile of fond remembrance. "I remember this one time he was too busy looking at the stars to.."

~*~*~*~

Side by side the two military officers talked and remembered Major Charles Kawalsky, into the wee hours of the morning. Neither one did anything inappropriate but each one was there for the other, one listening, the other talking, which helped to dull the ache of the death of a fellow officer and friend. That morning the resignation papers were in the trash where they belonged. When the talking was done she went home with the knowledge that if she ever needed him he would be there for her, like she was there for him this night. Neither one was aware of the special bond that had formed between the two.


	3. A Valuable Member of the Team

_My apologies for the grammatical error that I made in the first two chapters, that has been rectified in those chapters as well as any chapters following._

**Set after **_**Emancipation **_

**A Valuable Member of the Team**

'I knew a scientist would cause me trouble' Jack groaned to himself, after stepping back through the gate. 'Your luck O'Neill that could have turned out extremely different.' Like with his Second-In-Command sold to the highest bidder or her dying in a fight to the death. O'Neill hoped that there wouldn't be any more trouble off world involving Captain Samantha Carter's beauty. 'Admit it old man, when you saw her in that blue dress that hugged her curves in all the right places, you realized that she was the most beautiful women that you've seen in a very, very long time.' Jack thought. Yeah she was gorgeous, not that her Commanding Officer would ever have that right to tell her that. Jack pulled himself out of his musings and turned to his 2IC. "Carter, I want you to report to the infirmary immediately."

"Yes sir" she said nodding her head at him and walking out of the gateroom.

Jack went to the locker room and put away his gear and headed to the commissary, intent on getting some lunch. That was until he noticed the two pieces of cake left and suddenly grinned to himself as he picked them up and headed to the infirmary with them, intent on seeing how his 2IC was doing. Jack caught the Doc just outside the doorway of where Sam had been examined. "How is she Doc?" Jack asked Doctor Janet Frasier.

"Well Colonel O'Neill, she has some bruising from getting hit by a man's fist but nothing more then that. She's a strong woman, I think she'll be okay." Janet said with a sigh.

"He hit her?" Jack said his anger rising. Janet nodded her head in confirmation and Jack felt something powerful building in his chest, the overpowering need to protect Captain Carter as well as to beat the crap out of that rat ass that did that to her. Jack took a moment to control his emotions before going in to see her.

~*~*~*~

Captain Carter couldn't believe how bad this mission had turned out. First she had gotten kidnapped and then sold like she was some kind of property, and then after getting rescued she had a fight to the death with Turhgan. At least though Abu and Nya were able to be together and the women of the village should have a better life now. And the new anesthesia they brought back held some promise. 'Yeah there was that' Sam thought to herself as she watched her CO walk through the door, with cake in his hands.

"How are you feeling, Captain?" Jack asked her.

"Been better sir"

"Ah. Yes I can imagine." Coming over to sit next to her on the hospital bed. "So were you planning on telling me that he hit you?" Jack said softly.

Sam shifted uncomfortably. "Sir, I'll be fine"

"Doesn't matter Carter, if someone hurts you offworld, I want you to come to me and let me know, understand?" Sam sighed softly but agreed with him. "Good, now I've brought cake, since today wasn't really one of our better days." Jack said grinning while handing her her piece.

"Thanks"

"Yeah sure ya betcha." Jack said taking a bite.

~*~*~*~

Sam took this rare moment alone with her CO to study him. He was an extremely handsome man, with brown hair and big chocolate brown eyes that seem to twinkle whenever he was happy or to shoot fire when he was angry. And his smile, when he grinned it seemed to light up his entire face. And then there was his physique… 'Whoa Sam stop right there he's your superior officer' Sam thought to herself feeling guilty. Knowing full well she shouldn't find him attractive…but she did.

Jack of course looked at her right in the middle of her study of him. Jack gave her a questioning look and asked "Something wrong?"

"Oh, uh no sir." Sam said focusing on eating her cake.

"Ah. Well that's good Captain." Jack said doubt creeping into his voice.

Sam continued to think about her CO, like how he was a kick ass soldier. And sure his sense of humor was sometimes colorful but most of the time it relaxed the situation. And of course he was caring, like now when he brought her cake after a not so good mission, hoping to lift her spirits. 'Yeah he's a good officer, a good friend and a good CO.' Most of all though, Sam didn't want to disappoint him or let him down which is exactly what she was afraid she might have done during this mission. Sam cleared her throat "Colonel?"

"Yes Captain" he said glancing at her.

"I'm sorry sir that I caused a problem today."

"With what?" he said thoroughly confused.

"I'll understand if you want me off the team."

~*~*~*~

Jack glared at her like she had just grown two heads. "Why on earth would I want you off my team?" Jack asked.

"My being a woman caused all the issues today, and I would understand if you wanted an all male team."

Jack had no clue why she would have thought that and then remembered telling her on the planet that next time they should go back with an all male team. 'She couldn't possibly think…'Jack thought. 'Oh for the love of…' "Carter there is no way I'm taking you off of SG-1 because of that."

"But…" Sam started to say but Jack interrupted her.

"No buts. You are staying on this team, besides SG-1 needs your brain."

Sam swallowed before saying "I just don't want to disappoint you sir." She said honestly.

'Ha! Like she could ever disappoint you' Jack thought with a mental roll of his eyes. "Carter that's impossible" he said meaning it. "You're the most valuable member of my team, and nothings going to change that." Jack said giving her a look that would broach no argument.

"If you say so sir." She said not believing him.

"I do. Now how about you and me go have lunch?"

"Uh sir we just had dessert"

Jack smiled broadly at this. "Ah, so we did but we're adults it's not against the rules to have cake before lunch." He said getting up off the bed.

"Of course" she said following his lead.

"Shall we?" he asked

"Yes sir." Sam said as they walked out of the infirmary.

~*~*~*~

They went to lunch, relaxing and enjoying the other as team mates, neither one fully realizing the attraction they felt for the other.


	4. Attraction

**Set after **_**The Broca Divide**_

**Attraction**

'I attacked my CO…kissed him' Sam Carter lectured herself. Oh sure she'd been under the influence of an alien virus, but that didn't stop her from being embarrassed. Especially since the reason she kissed him was so she could mate with him. And of course all the men that she could have chosen on the base, she chose her very attractive Commanding Officer. And she attacked him with a very small tank top on and very short shorts. And worst of all he remembered it, even managed to tease her about it. 'Yeah it's going to be a long time before I'm comfortable around him again.' She thought, as she hid in her lab trying to forget about the ramifications of the kiss…like how she wanted to kiss him again, just with his consent this time.

~*~*~*~

'You wanted her to kiss you.' Jack admitted to himself. 'Just not that way.' Jack had been taken aback when she had kissed him, and then she had asked him if he wanted her and he had said _yes_, then _no_ and then _not like this _which implied that he did want her, just not in the way that she was doing it. If Jack had only realized that she was under the virus, then maybe he wouldn't have admitted that he wanted her.

'Everything happened so fast, she probably didn't even realize that I said that. Yeah you just keep telling yourself that, O'Neill.' Just when him and his 2IC had just found a nice comfortable rhythm, _this_ happened, it was so his luck. If Sam had attacked someone like Teal'c then the situation might have been a little bit better. But no, she chose him, someone she couldn't kiss or have any type of a relationship, outside of the typical CO and 2IC relationship. Not of course that he wasn't flattered or anything.

'Oh yeah your flattered all right.' Jack thought a small smile playing across his face. 'Thinking like that wasn't going to rectify the situation any. It'll only make things worse if you think about it.' He said arguing with himself. 'Yeah better go face the music now, before the next mission.' As he headed out of his quarters and headed to the place he knew he would find her, in her lab.

~*~*~*~

Sam realized the exact same minute _he_ walked in the door, because her whole demeanor changed. Her back went rigid and her heart leapt to her throat. 'Calm down Sam, you would think you were facing ten Jaffa instead of just one harmless man.' Yeah but Sam was never good with talking, her short engagement with Jonas Hanson proved that. "Colonel is there something you needed?" Sam asked uncertainly.

"Yeah Captain, I think we need to clear the air as they say." Jack said waving his hand in the air. "I'm Sorry Carter the comment I made about your tank top was out of line for a commanding officer." Silence followed that statement.

~*~*~*~

'She just can't make this any easier can she?' Jack thought. 'Why oh why couldn't she just say yes sir and then we can move on. But no she just has to stare at you with those baby blues.' O'Neill groaned inwardly. He never talked this much in his own head. Maybe the virus had some sort of lasting affect on mental sanity. Yeah that had to be it.

~*~*~*~

Sam stared at the Colonel, lost in her own thoughts. 'Oh no, he's apologizing, this situation is going to be so awkward now.'

Jack cleared his throat pulling her out of her musings. "Listen Captain you're a very attractive woman. This whole situation in the locker room happened pretty fast and I may have said something that would give you cause to believe that I would want that to happen again…but I don't…not in a million…no a billion years, even if things were different."

Sam's mind stopped when he said she was attractive but then slammed into overdrive when she understood what he meant. "Of course sir." She said coldly.

"So we're okay then Carter?" Jack said lifting his eyebrow at her.

"Yes sir." Sam agreed.

"Good Captain, I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Good night Colonel." Trying to distract herself with her report that she had been working on, effectively dismissing him.

"Yeah good night" Jack said stealing a glance at her face before turning and walking out of her lab.

Once Sam was sure he had left, she groaned and set her head in her hands with her elbows lying on her desk. 'So you sat here and day dreamed about kissing your CO and he wouldn't want that to happen in a billion years, even if you weren't in the air force.' Yeah Sam needed to get out more. When was the last time she was on a date? 'Way, way too long ago.' She thought.

Not only was she attracted to her CO, but Janet had a hypothesis about the Broco Virus. Her hypothesis was that there was a small possibility that Sam had chosen Jack to mate with because she was attracted to him. According to the Doctor the virus seemed to magnify emotions, such as anger and aggression. And in Sam's case the virus magnified her attraction to the Colonel. Under normal conditions none of the personnel on base would have acted on their feelings. But add the virus to the equation and everything changed. Sam knew that liking her CO more then she should was against regulations but all she had was a healthy attraction to a member of the opposite sex…who she wasn't supposed to have an attraction to in the first place.

'Oy! Just stop thinking about it and finish your report.' Sam said finally getting down to business.

~*~*~*~

'You're a sorry SOB Jack' O'Neill thought to himself. 'You flat out lied to Carter Ha! Telling her that never in a billion years would you want a repeat, yes you would.' Jack thought. But he had needed something to cover up his mistake after he had said she was attractive and that was the only thing he could think of on short notice.

Jack knew he shouldn't be attracted to her, since he was a married man. Sure Sara had left him over a year ago, he received the divorce papers a week ago. They were sitting on his coffee table at his house, he hadn't gotten around to signing them yet but he would. Even when that happened, he still couldn't be attracted to his 2IC. No he had to move on. Admit she was an attract woman and move on.

~*~*~*~

They both went their separate ways, each admitting to the attraction, each one knowing they would never act upon it.


	5. Fixation

**Set during **_**The First Commandment**_** after Hanson died and before they left the planet **

**Fixation**

Captain Samantha Carter was sitting on the ground trying to relax during her break from getting the stargate upright again. The villagers were busy putting it back up and Colonel O'Neill ordered her to rest a bit, considering the day she had. Her ex-fiancé pretty much went ballistic and decided to play god. 'You really do have a thing for the lunatic fringe.' Sam groaned to herself. Yeah she sure did. Sam sat up a little straighter when she noticed Colonel Jack O'Neill coming towards her.

"Hey." Jack said sitting himself down next to her "You okay?" he said softly.

"Yes sir." She said lying.

"Because you know lying to a superior officer is a no-no Captain."

'Crap, he can see right through me.' "Okay sir, no I'm not fine."

"Want to talk about it?" Jack asked fiddling with his hat in his hands.

"Not really sir." She said honestly.

"Well if you want to talk, I'm right here." He said as they eased into a comfortable silence. Soon Sam couldn't take it anymore and sighed "Alright sir, it's just a little bit weird to see the man that I could have married turn into a crazed lunatic who thought himself a god. To be honest I'm shocked that he had that in him and I didn't know. I could have married him and he could have turned out like that." Sam said stopping herself when she realized she was probably babbling

"Carter, sometimes we just don't know what anyone is capable of till they're put in that situation."

"I know sir." Sam let out a shuttering sigh and tried her best to hold back the tears that threatened.

"C'mere." Jack said wrapping his arm around her shoulder, as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"Do you still love him?" Jack inquired softly.

"No but I did. Looking back he wasn't the same person that I started dating when I gave him back the ring. It's hard though sir to witness a person you used to love die like that."

"Yes Carter it is" Jack said soberly, his mind wandering to his son Charlie who shot himself with his own gun.

'This is nice' Sam thought 'Not having to be the brave little soldier all the time.' And being there next to the Colonel seemed so right…so meant to be. It felt like they were the only ones around, even though they weren't. 'Okay stop, he's your CO, can you say court marshal if people heard what you were thinking.' Sam thought inwardly sighing.

~*~*~*~

'This is nice.' Jack said to himself. Way too nice. Nice enough for him to start thinking about how he liked having this woman by his side. This woman…who was his 2IC. 'Nip this in the bud, O'Neill. Right now.' So he did. He pulled his arm away from her and sat there in semi-awkward silence before a voice said "Colonel O'Neill your assistance is required."

"Coming big guy!" Jack said getting up. Teal'c couched his head at him. God, but Jaffas sure were dense, but you just had to love the big guy regardless. "I need to go help but we'll talk more later okay Captain?"

"Of course sir." She said smiling sadly.

~*~*~*~

Sam tucked her knees up to her chin and rested it there. Sam hugged her knees, missing the Colonel's warmth. She knew she shouldn't miss it but there was no stopping her heart from what she felt. 'Yeah try telling that to the United States Air Force.' She thought rolling her eyes. She really needed to get over this fixation that she had with her CO, it's not like he was some kind of new technology that she could try to figure out. 'Yup you need to get over it.' She set pulling herself up off the ground and going to help the guys. "Need help Colonel?" She asked and was rewarded with a bright smile from him.

~*~*~*~

They would later continue their talk, this time about how the more lives you take, no matter how twisted the people might be, the more you become like Hanson. Her fixation with this man remained, the conversation having only added to her curiosity of what made this man who he was.


	6. Sometimes Things Happen for a Reason

**Set after **_**Cold Lazarus**_

**Sometimes Things Happen for a Reason**

Captain Samantha Carter had a pretty good couple of days in the grand scheme of things. Not like Colonel O'Neill. No his past couple of days were probably up there with some of the worst of his life. A crystal entity had made a copy of him and came through the stargate and went to his wife's house wanting to know where their dead son was. And then he'd been forced to say goodbye to the entity in the form of his son. 'Yeah he must have been in his own personal Hell.' Sam thought as she grabbed her sweater and headed out the door of her house. Sam hadn't known he was married let alone had a son. And she definitely hadn't known about his son's tragic death. 'Nice going Sam being attracted to your CO was bad enough, but he's married, that's even worse' Sam groaned aloud when she realized that she had went to comfort him after the lose of Charles Kawalsky and had spent the whole night talking outside with him. 'Ugh.' She thought pulling her sweater more tightly around herself as she walked across the street to the park that was right across from her house, where she went to think on occasion.

~*~*~*~

Colonel Jack O'Neill was sitting on a park bench watching a game of little league baseball…Charlie's Favorite sport. Jack pulled in a ragged breathe. God, the pain just never went away. Not that he expected it to, not when you couldn't even forgive yourself for it. Jack was lost in his own thoughts, and didn't notice Sam walking towards him.

So he was surprised when he heard a soft "Hi sir." And looked up to find Carter standing next to him.

"Can I sit here sir?" she asked softly.

"Yeah…" he said when she sat down on the bench next to him. Jack really wanted to be left alone right now. 'Well if you wanted to be left alone the why did you come to the park right across the street from her house?' Jack asked himself. Yeah he really didn't want to get into that right now. Didn't want to think about how of all the parks in Colorado Springs he had come to this one, right next to _her_ house. All he wanted to was wallow in his self-pity, not that it would do any good, it never did.

~*~*~*~

"How's your wife sir?" Carter asked looking for anything to say to get that look off his face, the look that said he wanted to do something really irrational that would hopefully get his mind of his pain. Not much scared Samantha Carter, but that look he had sure did.

"Ex-Wife, Carter, I sent her the divorce papers." He said sadly.

"oh. I'm sorry to hear that sir. Do you still love her?" She asked uncertainly.

"A part of me will always love her, but we had problems even before…" Jack said suddenly agony etched in his eyes.

Sam couldn't take the look in his eyes anymore, and noticing his hand laying between them, she put her hand on top of his as some sort of comfort.

Jack's brown eyes jumped to hers and she swallowed, realizing that they were out in public…holding hands…of sorts. His eyes broke contact with hers and went back to watching the little league game.

Sam didn't know Sara but had briefly met her a few days ago. Sam clearly saw though the love for this man written in Sara's eyes and Sam's heart had ached for her. 'Who wouldn't love this man?' Sam thought, knowing she shouldn't think of him that way. He was an honorable man, and yes he made mistakes but he pulled through. He knew how to make someone laugh and he was probably the most gorgeous man Sam had met in a very long time. 'Stop!' Sam thought to herself. 'It's not going to do any good thinking of him like that.' Even the pain that had also been in Sara's eyes, she also knew that she had had something very special for a time. She had this man's heart. 'Something you will never be able to have.' Sam thought with a mental sigh.

"She was lucky sir." Sam blurted out without thinking.

~*~*~*~

Jack was shocked with what Sam had said. And was angry. "Sara was _not_ lucky. If she was lucky she would have never had a no good rotten ass for a husband who left his loaded gun within the reach of her son." He spat out, pulling his hand out from hers.

Jack saw the hurt in Sam's eyes and didn't care. Didn't care about anything right now.

"It wasn't your fault sir." She said softly. "Kid's do stupid things like that. One time as a kid I climbed this huge oak that was in my yard, after my dad told me not to. And I ended up falling down and breaking my leg and having a bad concussion. The doctor's hadn't been sure if there was going to be any lasting effects from it."

"Ah so that's how you got so smart." Jack said humorously.

"Sir what happened to your son was horrible, but sometimes things happen for a reason." She said quietly.

"What could possibly be a reason for taking a son from his father?" he said glaring at her.

Sam swallowed but continued. "Well sir if that wouldn't have happened then you never would have went on the Abydos mission, never would have placed the bomb aboard Ra's ship. And we never would be doing what we do now sir. I know that doesn't do anything to lessen your pain but just think on that." Sam said pushing herself off the bench,intent on walking away.

But Jack grabbed her hand as she got up. "Wait, Carter stay…please." He said swallowing.

She nodded her head and again sat down next to him, staring at the game again.

"Charlie loved baseball." Jack said suddenly.

"He did sir? Cub's fan?" Sam asked smiling a little.

"Oh yeah. He wanted to be a baseball player one day." Jack said smiling a little bit.

"Very cool sir. I went through that stage too, but that was until I realized that girl's couldn't be baseball players" Sam said her smile getting bigger.

Jack smiled at her, his first genuine smile in days.

'Maybe she's right.' Jack thought. 'Maybe sometime things do happen for a reason.'

~*~*~*~

It didn't lessen the guilt he felt, nor could it take away all the pain. He'd never get over the lose of his son, but every time he went on a mission he would dedicate the good he was doing out there to him. Knowing that if one child's life was made better by what they were doing, then it was enough. It had to be.

And she would stifle the attraction she felt for him, even if he was going to be single again. She wouldn't, _couldn't_ let it interfere with her job. But what she didn't know was the one thing her heart wanted most, was the one man she would never be able to have.

_Note- I'm awed that people are reading these stories and I wanted to say a big thank you to all of you. I'm not going to beg for reviews but if I made you laugh or smile just a little in my stories (or in this one sad), let me know please. That's all I want is to make someone laugh or smile. Also as well I know I'm going to hit a brick wall with the tag to 'Brief Candle', so if anyone has any ideas, post them in the reviews. Thanks again to you all!_


	7. Interfering With the Job

**Set after **_**The Nox**_

**Interfering With the Job**

Captain Samantha Carter did something that she promised herself she would never do…let her attraction for her CO interfere with her job. And it had gotten her killed…and if the Nox hadn't been there, well she really didn't want to think along those lines. The briefing with General Hammond was over and she was putting the multiple papers back in the folder.

"Uh Carter I was wondering if you could clarify something for me." Colonel Jack O'Neill said walking up to her uncertainly.

"Sure sir." She said nervously. 'I hope he doesn't bring up how I…' her thought trailing off at the Colonel's words.

"How exactly did you manage to get hit?"

'Damn.' Sam thought as she realized he had said the exact question she had wanted to avoid.

"You didn't mention _how_ in your report." Jack reminded her.

'Oh sure he never pays attention, but today off all days he does.' She thought with a mental roll of her eyes. "Well sir I did say that I got shot with a staff blast."

"Yes I know but from your position you shouldn't have been hit." Jack said impatiently.

"I got up sir" she said honestly.

"Why would you get up?" Jack said confused.

"I saw you get hit Colonel so I got up to make sure you were okay."

~*~*~*~

Jack was seriously confused. His 2IC was a damn good officer and would know that in a hostile situation like that that she shouldn't have gotten up from her position. Whatever stupid reason she may have had for getting up, it would have, did in fact, end her life. If thing had been different… "Carter as much as I appreciate what you tried to do, next time I want you to keep you position." He said trying not to sound condescending but he figured he probably failed. 'She almost lost her life for you O'Neill.' He thought to himself. It didn't make much sense at all. Oh sure he was her Commanding Officer but if she saw he was hit, she knew he was as good as dead. "You almost got yourself killed and lets face it, I'm not worth dying over."

Sam straightened her spine but refused to look him in the eye. "We never leave people behind." She said softly.

Yeah okay she had a point there but she was supposed to be one of the smartest people on the face of the planet, she really shouldn't be sacrificing that brain for his sorry ass. They could always find another military officer to command SG1, they would never find another Samantha Carter. Jack sighed and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I can't really argue with you but next time use your judgment better. You got yourself killed today Captain as in dead." Jack said trailing off as he realized his thumb was moving back and forth across her shoulder, caressing it.

~*~*~*~

Sam was increasingly aware of her CO's hand on her shoulder, which really shouldn't be there. But they had died today that should make it okay, but it probably didn't.

Jack realizing where his hand was and what it was doing, pulled his hand away like he had just touched fire. Sam missed the contact instantly.

"Just be more careful next time okay?" Jack asked of her.

"Yes sir." She said slightly embarrassed.

"Good." Jack said smiling as he walked out of the briefing room.

Sam leaned her back slightly against the table, closed her eyes and sighed in relief. He hadn't said anything about if she had gotten shot because she had let her feelings interfere. The only thing was she _had_ let her feelings interfere with her judgment. 'Yeah your attraction for him was what made you jump up like that in the first place.' She groaned to herself. She had been so scared when he had gotten shot, she knew he had been dead, a staff blast at that close of range… She had screamed out _sir_ but in her heart she had screamed _Jack._ 'This is exactly the reason you can't have a …crush on him.' She berated herself. She had never had a crush on a CO, she knew it wasn't allowed and besides she liked keeping her professional life and private life separate. But there was something about Jack O'Neill that attracted to him to her, and she tried her best to ignore it but it was there nevertheless. And now it was interfering with her job. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and left the briefing room. She would just try harder she resolved.

~*~*~*~

She continued to be a good little soldier and did her duty, stifling the attraction. His personality unknowingly did nothing to help, only adding to what she felt. She was confident it was one sided, and she was content with that, because if she was the only one that felt something then nothing would come of it. But she was wrong. He did feel the same. He was a master at hiding his feelings but underneath the mask he was just as attracted to her as she was to him.


	8. Treasure These Days

**Set after **_**Brief Candle**_

**Treasure These Days**

Colonel Jack O'Neill was getting up there in years and he knew it, he just didn't really ever think he'd get to the end of his life in a matter of days. Luckily though Carter and them had figured it out and hopefully in a week or so he should be back to his semi-young self. But right now he was still old and he felt like any moment he was going to keel over. And all because he had slept with a beautiful woman go figure. Although technically she had drugged him but he didn't want to think of the implications that went along with that. No as much as he wanted to blame Kynthia, she hadn't known any other way of life and had thought that he knew what it meant when he ate the cake. He always did have a fondness for cake.

"So are you certain I'm going to live Doc?" he said grumbling to Doctor Janet Fraiser in the infirmary.

"Yes Colonel you just need to be kept here for observation." She said.

"Well I sure don't feel like I'm going to live." He said sarcastically.

Janet didn't even try to conceal her rolling of her eyes. "Your fine."

"Yeah sure ya betta." He said being sarcastic yet again.

At that moment Captain Samantha Carter walking in carrying two bowls of JELLO. It really stunk being this old, even if he was going to look like he did before this whole fiasco, around Captain Carter. Mostly because she was a very attractive woman and it only served to reinforce their age difference that was between them. 'oh God I bet she thinks of me as a father figure now.' Jack inwardly thought. A very beautiful woman that he was attracted to probably thought he was a father figure, the day couldn't get any worse.

"What have you got there?" Jack asked Carter.

"Well sir since I figured you were going to be here for awhile I thought I'd bring you something that shouldn't hurt your health." She couldn't resist teasing.

"Very funny Carter." Jack said not happy with her.

"I thought so, sir. So here's red JELLO and I brought myself some blue JELLO." Sam said handing him the bowl. "I uh knew that you liked the red better." She said slightly embarrassed.

"Thanks Carter." Jack said with his first genuine smile in a while. He was touched that she remembered that he preferred red over the blue.

"So how are you feelings sir?" Carter asked as she sat in a chair next to his bed.

"I'm an old man how do you _think_ I feel?" Jack asked.

"Ah. Right sir, We'll give it a week and you'll be back to your handsome self in no time."

~*~*~*~

'Aw Crap you just called him handsome' She groaned to herself. Maybe he would just ignore it but no such luck if his grin was any indication.

"You think I'm handsome?" he asked.

This really wasn't a conversation a CO and his 2IC should be having.

"oh sure sir, as a uh father figure." Sam said smiling uncomfortably.

'Your lying through your teeth' Sam thought to herself.

~*~*~*~

Jack's smile quickly died and he stopped eating his JELLO. 'She does think of me that way.' Jack thought. She thought of him as a father, this was not cool at all. Here he was attracted to her and she thought of him like a dad. Wow that's just a little bit uncomfortable…and embarrassing. And a little bit harsh too. He wasn't _that_ much older then her.

"oh." Jack said very uncomfortable now.

"No offence intended of course." Sam said.

"Oh uh none taken Captain." Jack said refusing to meet her eyes.

'Just move on Jack get over it and move on.' Jack thought. Yes that was the best thing to do. 'You shouldn't be upset anyway, it's not like you could be in a relationship with her to begin with.' The military regulations would always be there, it wasn't like they were going to go away any time soon. And it was probably for the best anyway, although she really should not look that good in BDU's. 'Now _that _should be against military regulations' Jack mussed to himself.

"So Carter anything fun happen when I was away on my little sabbatical?" Jack said as he continued to eat his JELLO.

"No sir. Same old same old."

"That would be because I wasn't here. I give life to this old place." He said waving his hand around.

"Oh I'm sure sir." Sam said smiling a little. Jack gave her a look that dared her to argue with him and her smile grew in proportion.

~*~*~*~

A lesson had been learned that day and he would treasure the moments like this, with a friend. In fact he would treasure all his days from now on because he would never know when it could be his time to leave this earth and he wanted it to count for something. That made the past few days and all he had went through worth it.


	9. Appearances Can Be Deceiving

**Set after **_**Thor's Hammer**_

**Appearances Can Be Deceiving**

_I think there dead…I don't want to hear that!_ Captain Samantha Carter thought back to what had happened earlier when Colonel Jack O'Neill and Teal'c had gotten beamed away by Thor's Hammer. Daniel had thought they were dead and Sam had immediately wanted to panic. There was no way her CO…Jack…could be dead. Not now when she had just started to get to know him. Luckily though they had been able to find both of them and after disabling 'Thor's Hammer' Teal'c had been able to escape and they had been able to go home.

Sam though couldn't get her mind off of another comment that Daniel had made. _Haven't you ever had a feeling that made absolutely no logical sense and it turned out to be right? _She knew he hadn't meant it the way he said it but she automatically connected it to her attraction to her CO. Her attraction made absolutely no sense, she knew the rules, knew she couldn't see him like that. She knew it wasn't right but a part of her had wondered for the briefest of seconds what if it would be right…but she had to concentrate on the things at hand so she let it go. 'You can't be attracted to him.' She said to herself for what seemed the like the hundredth time.

When he had gone missing her years of military training had been the only thing keeping her in control of her emotions. Jack O'Neill had been right when he had said they were like a family. Teal'c didn't have any family, Daniel's parents had died when he was young, Jack was divorced and she hadn't talked to her family in a very long time. Sure they might have a dysfunctional family, but they were one nevertheless.

Sam was too lost in her thoughts to notice her CO coming around the corner.

~*~*~*~

Jack didn't notice his 2IC till it was too late. Sam collided into his chest and he grabbed her forearms to keep her from falling over.

"Oh I'm sorry sir." She said apologetically

"It's fine Carter, anytime you have the urge to run into someone, just let me know." He said grinning as he released her.

"Oh..uh." She stammered as she smiled softly and glanced at the ground and blushed.

'You finally found a way to leave her speechless.' Jack thought barely able to resist pumping his fist in the air. 'And you made her blush.' The grin on Jack's face was a mile long. Somehow, whenever she blushed it seemed to make her ten times lovelier and daintier. Sam was still looking at the floor and shifting uncomfortably when Jack realized he was probably staring at her like a love sick fool. 'Nice one.' Jack thought with a mental roll of his eyes.

Jack cleared his throat and asked "Where are you off to?" as he started walking with her.

"Oh I'm off to give these reports to General Hammond." She said indicating the folders in her hand.

"Yeah I should probably do mine." Jack said.

"That might be a good idea sir." Sam said smiling at him.

"Yes. So Carter that Thor guy I saw do you really think the rest of his people look like Vikings?" He questioned her.

"Well sir you did say it was a hologram so it is always possible that they don't actually look like that and are just trying to relate to the culture on that planet."

Jack thought for a few moments and then said "You sound like Daniel, I thought you were supposed to be an Astrophysicist?"

Sam smiled up at him. "Well sir I can prove that to you."

Jack quickly held up a hand. "Ah! I trust you Captain."

"Yes sir." She said grinning.

'Man I can get used to that Smile for forever.' He thought as he grinned back at her.

"So maybe Thor's actually really short…" he said as he continued walking with her.

~*~*~*~

Appearances are deceiving such as with Thor's Hammer. They are also deceiving in matters of the heart as well. If anyone had seen these two, they would have assumed that they were just friends but both of their hearts told them different.

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_Author's Note- As always thanks for reading and I would love to hear your thoughts!_


	10. Precious

_Author's Note- I just wanted to say thanks again all of you who are reading this. (as well as reviewing!) You guys are the wind beneath my pencil._

**Set after **_**The Torment of Tantalus**_

**Precious**

For once Colonel Jack O'Neill's day hadn't been so bad. Aside from the fact that his team was almost stranded on a planet, his 2IC was almost crushed to death and he had barely made it back through the stargate. He was trying to be a little bit positive, after all they had found Catherine Langford's former Fiancé, Ernest Littlefield, alive and well. That was definitely something to be optimistic about.

So here they were at Catherine's home trying to catch Ernest up on what had happened in the past 50 years. Daniel was catching him up on the history that had happened, Carter was catching him up on the technological advances and he was catching him up on…the new kinds of beer.

"We've made many technological advantages over the years. This" She said indicating the computer on the desk "went from being the size of a room to this size in a few decades." Her eyes lighting up as she said it.

Jack smirked at his second in command. 'She is such a scientist.' He thought to himself. He never would have thought he'd say it but he actually was starting to like scientists, especially this pretty blonde kick butt second in command of his. 'If she hadn't been under my command…' Jack thought absently. No, best not to think of stuff like that. She was and that wasn't about to change.

He mind went absently to what had happened on the planet with Sam. She had been standing right next to the DHD when it had fallen in the sea. He had quickly grabbed her by the vest and they had rolled down the stairs. If he hadn't been right there next to her she would have ended up with the DHD or crushed by the rocks that had fallen overhead. And this time there would have been no Nox to revive her. Her very important life would have been snuffed out just like that and Jack would have been helpless to do anything about it. Jack's semi good mood was gone in an instant. As much as he knew she could take care of herself, something inside of him wanted to protect her.

Jack glanced across the room as she chatted with Catherine. Sam had such a big heart but she was a tough soldier as well. And she was way smarter then he was. She had so much going for her and all that could have been taken away, not by enemy fire, but from sheer misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

~*~*~*~

Sam laughed at what Catherine had said and looked up, and her eyes collided with her CO's. He was staring at her with a serious look in them, that for a moment Sam was afraid she had done something she shouldn't have.

Sam remembered the fear that she had felt when Jack and Daniel almost didn't make it back from the planet. Luckily they had made it back just in time but a few seconds later and they'd both be dead. As much as Sam loved her job, she really hated the dangerous situations that they were put in, and that a day might come when they weren't so lucky and something bad did happen and she wasn't sure if she'd be able to handle it. SG-1 was so close, like a family and if something happened to any of them she'd be crushed. And if something happened to Jack…Sam knew she'd feel far more then the lose of a CO.

Suddenly Jack got off the chair that he'd been sitting on and came over to her.

Sam swallowed, she was nervous. 'You can give lectures in front of a room full of teenagers you get nervous over your CO…nice.' She though sarcastically. They normally had these team bonding things but today she had chosen to wear a skirt instead of her normal jeans and she knew why she had chosen it, but she really didn't want to think about it.

"Hello Jack, you looked so alone over there by yourself." Catherine said to him.

"Ah yes well I'm a loner as you know Catherine." Jack said pulling his make-woman-melt-into-a-puddle-on-the-ground-grin. "But I've decided that since Daniel is over there talking about wars that I'd come over here to you two lovely ladies." His eyes resting on Sam for a moment.

Oh yeah Sam was definitely a puddle on the floor.

"Oh stop it. You know your charm doesn't work on me." Catherine smiling at him.

"Ah yes but it does work on Sam." He said giving Sam a wink.

Sam blushed she had no idea she was so transparent.

"Oh you shush. Leave Sam alone." As she wrapped her arm around her shoulder.

"Yes Ma'am" He said as he leaned against the arm of the loveseat that Sam and Catherine were sitting on.

"So Sam are you dating anyone?" Catherina asked her.

"Oh uh no." She said.

"Oh no one strikes your fancy…"

"Well…" Sam said before she could stop herself.

"Oh come now Sam you have to tell an old lady about it."

'Oh yeah I'm going to tell you that I have a crush on my CO who is sitting right next to me…right.' She thought to herself.

"He's…umm a nice guy and that's it." Sam said awkwardly knowing Catherine wouldn't give up, she hadn't given up on the Stargate project, she wasn't a quitter.

"Come now Sam give me more then that."

"It's…complicated Catherine. And the feeling only goes one way." At least she was being honest.

"I find that hard to believe." Jack said next to her. "And if he doesn't feel the same way then he's crazy." He said looking at the beer in his hand.

There was a moment of silence. "Thanks sir." Sam said smiling at him.

~*~*~*~

"Anytime Sam." He said honestly.

'So Carter likes someone…wonder if it's someone at work…Daniel maybe?' Jack thought to himself.

Daniel made sense he was a scientist like her. And they seemed to have a bond from the beginning. Yeah that made a lot of sense, but Jack dismissed that thought, she only showed sisterly affection towards Daniel. Jack couldn't help feeling a pang though at her mention of liking someone. Oh sure she could like anyone she wanted. 'Your Jealous' Jack thought. 'Your Jealous that some guy out there has this precious woman's affection and you can never have it.'

Yeah Jack was jealous all right. But the jealousy wouldn't help him, so like he did with so many of his emotions, he packed them away and tried to forget about it.

"How did you an Ernest meet?" Sam asked breaking the rift between conversations.

"Oh well lets see…" Catherine said with fond remembrance.

~*~*~*~

Each of these two people were precious to the other and each one of them was clueless to it. They made up part of a family but it went beyond that. What they didn't know was that if something happened to the one the other would experience a great lose, and they would never be the same.

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_Author's Note- Thanks for reading and as always if you liked it let me know!_


	11. Deeper Meaning

**Set after **_**Fire and Water**_

**Deeper Meaning**

Captain Samantha Carter had been to many funerals over the years, she had just never been to one where the presumed dead was found alive and well. She had violently seen Daniel Jackson die in a fire, but in reality an alien had abducted them and gave them false memories that he was dead. They had found him alive and well on the planet after he had helped the alien. So here they all were at his new apartment helping him move all this stuff from where they had had it stored.

"So why was this alien looking for his mate after all these centuries?" Jack asked Daniel as he was putting Daniel's books back in the bookcase.

"Wouldn't you want to know what happened to your wife?" Daniel said confused.

Jack stopped what he was doing, thought for a moment and then resumed, ignoring the question.

"I wonder if a love like that even exists anymore." Sam said looking at the members of SG1. Teal'c had his head cocked to the side, Daniel wore a pained expression and Jack's face was unreadable.

"I'm sure it does Captain." Jack assured her, Daniel nodded his head at her and the stoic Jaffa managed an 'Indeed.'

'I've never known a love like that,' Sam thought to herself. She had only known the possessive love of Jonas Hanson and the youthful loves when she had been younger, but never that all consuming love that lasted forever. 'Get over it' She patronized herself. She'd never been good with feelings, after her mom had died her father had expected her to be a tough little soldier. And then when she _was_ a soldier, the difficult situation that she had been put in had made her try as hard as she could to not express her feelings.

Sam briefly thought of the hug her CO had given her. It had made her feel things that she knew she shouldn't. He had given her a bear hug and had run his fingers through her hair. It had made her feel safe and protected, that everything would be okay. And it was a hug a CO really shouldn't be giving his 2IC. She did know one thing though; she enjoyed being held in his arms, even if it was only for the briefest of moments.

~*~*~*~

'Alright so maybe that hug was a little bit inappropriate.' Jack thought to himself. But what was he supposed to have done? She had just realized her friend who they thought was dead, wasn't and that they had left him behind. She needed comfort and he had been right there to offer it. But did he really need to run a hand down her hair or put his face into her neck? 'You did that for yourself.' Jack thought. He was a bit angry with himself for having allowed that, and in front of Dr. MacKenzie as well. 'You had let your feelings be known in that hug old man.' He thought.

A small selfish part of him knew that that had been a rare moment and he wouldn't be able to do that much, even though he wanted to. And Sam had fit perfectly in his arms…like she was meant to be there. But as a CO that he couldn't feel those feelings or think those thoughts. And he definitely needed to make sure there were no repercussions from it.

Jack look around Daniel's apartment and spotted Sam taking some of Daniel's artifacts out of a box. He walked towards her and said "Carter can I see you in the kitchen for a moment?"

Sam glanced up a little bit startled. 'Like a doe in the headlights…a very pretty doe.' Jack gave a mental shake of his head to clear his thoughts. The hug had really brought his attraction to her to his attention and that was never a good thing.

"Sure sir." She said as she got up off the ground and followed him into the kitchen. When they got there Jack turned around suddenly and Sam almost plowed into him.

"Carter about that hug…I realize that it might be out of line and you may want to report it."

~*~*~*~

"Wow." Sam said interrupting him. 'Why would I report him? If anything I should report myself for feeling the way I do.' She thought to herself. "Sorry sir for interrupting but it's okay." Jack searched her face. "I needed a friend sir and you were there." She said honestly.

Jack nodded his hear, agreeing. "So we can put this behind us?"

"Of course sir." Sam said.

"Well that's uh good then, how about we go ask the boys what they want for lunch. Teal'c hasn't tried Chinese yet." Jack said his eyes lighting up. Sam laughed at him and they went to join the rest of SG1.

~*~*~*~

Try as she might she knew she would never be able to think of being friends while being held in his arms. He knew that having that woman in his arms had seemed like she was supposed to be there. What they both didn't know was that they would one day find that forever kind of love and the hug had felt so right because they were meant for one another.

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_Author's Note- Thanks for reading and as always let me know if you liked it or not!_


	12. Great Command

**Set after **_**Hathor**_

**Great Command**

Captain Samantha Carter had really never felt happy to be a woman in the military. She loved the Air Force, but she was a woman in a man's world and some days she hated that.

But not today. Today the very fact that there were woman in the military at the SGC, was what had stopped Hathor from getting complete control of the base.

'We kicked ass.' Sam thought smugly. Granted it was the personnel on the base who's asses they were kicking.

Although they had saved the base, Hathor had still managed to escape through the stargate, and here they were cleaning up the mess that Hathor had made. Doctor Fraiser was busy running tests to see if they could learn something from the burnt remains of the larva but it didn't really look promising.

Colonel Jack O'Neill walked up to her. 'He does really have great abs.' She thought absently, remembering when he had said _crunches _in relation to her saying it was a miracle that there were no signs of his implantation. She blushed when she realized she had been staring at him.

"So Carter you ladies did a great job today." Jack said grinning at her.

"Thank you sir." She said her grin was as big as his.

"So I was infested with a snake." He grimaced.

"Well technically it was a larva so you were still yourself." Jack shot her a stop-being-a-scientist look and she smiled at him in response.

"You know Carter you don't have to be a scientist everyday of the week."

'And you don't have to be a pain in the ass everyday of the week.' She thought fondly. Oh yeah that could definitely be considered disrespecting a superior officer.

"Are you saying I should be someone I'm not?" She said teasing him just a little.

"I would not dream of it Captain." He said with a roll of his eyes.

'Thought so.' Sam thought to herself. Yeah Jack O'Neill could complain all he wanted about scientists but she knew that he actually liked them sometimes.

~*~*~*~

'And she thought SG1 should be an all male team. Ha!' Jack thought to himself. He really was proud of his spunky little 2IC. 'Leave it to Carter to save the day.' Oh yeah he was definitely proud of her.

"You're a good 2IC." Jack said suddenly.

"Oh thank you sir." She said.

"You handled that situation perfectly, you said in the beginning that SG1 should be an all male team, today you proved that you are needed here."

Sam looked at the floor embarrassed.

"Never forget that Carter." Jack said as he left the locker room.

"I won't" She promised herself.

~*~*~*~

She made a great second in command and he made a great commanding officer. And both of these two together made an amazing command that was just what was needed to protect earth from things that were bigger then the small little blue planet.

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_Author's Note- Sorry for the short chapter, but soon we'll be to the 'solitudes' tag and that may be a bit longer. Thanks for reading and let me know if you like it!_


	13. Pretend

**Set after **_**Singularity**_

**Pretend**

Colonel Jack O'Neill and Captain Samantha Carter had offered to watch Cassandra for the day. Cassandra had been found on a planet whose population as well as an SG team had been wiped out by the Goa'uld. And then she had a bomb in her chest that would have killed her. But the further away they had gotten from the stargate, the bomb had been reabsorbed into her blood system. Jack had been concerned when Sam had disobeyed a direct order and had stayed with Cassandra, but he could understand not wanting to leave her. Thankfully though she was going to be a normal child and Doctor Fraiser was going to adopt her.

Unfortunately the Doc was sick today and had asked both of them if they could take her to the park. 'Never thought I'd be here with a kid again.' Jack thought as he looked at Cassie holding Sam's hand.

"Can I go play on the swings?" Cassie said looking up at her.

"Sure." Sam said as Cassie ran off.

The both stood there watching her when an old woman walked past them and turned around. "You have a lovely daughter there." The woman said smiling at them.

"Oh uh she's…" Sam started to say her eyes going wide.

"Thank you ma'am." Jack said interrupting her.

~*~*~*~

'Well this is uncomfortable.' Sam thought to herself. Having someone mistake her and the Colonel for Cassandra's parents was embarrassing enough but Jack hadn't even denied it.

"Carter do you want kids?" Jack asked her suddenly.

Sam's mind was in the gutter and that so could have been taken the wrong way.

"I did once…but now working at the SGC, I don't know." She said honestly, crossing her arms across her chest. 'And I've never meet the right man.' She thought to herself.

"You sir?" She said without thinking.

Jack stiffened and whispered "No, not after last time."

'Oh no.' Sam groaned inwardly. She hadn't meant to bring up Charlie, or to bring back the pain in his eyes, but she had.

"Doesn't mean I don't like 'em though." He said still watching Cassie on the swing.

Yeah Sam liked 'em too.

Cassie was finished with the swings and she walked back over to them. "What's for lunch Colonel O'Neill?" She said expectantly.

Jack knelt down beside her. "Well I'm not really sure. But I don't think that we should try Sam's cooking." Jack said as he made a disgusted face.

"Well hey now it's not all that bad." Sam said defending herself.

Jack glanced up at her and gave her that Jack smile. "Just remember Captain I've had your MREs."

"Good point." Sam said giving up. Somehow she even managed to mess those up.

"So how about we go and get something, how does that sound?" Jack said as he got up and took Cassandra's hand in his.

"That sounds great Colonel O'Neill." Cassandra said grinning at him. "And can we bring Doctor Fraiser something back as well?"

"Of course we can." Jack told her.

Sam smiled at the two. Anyone seeing them together would have thought that they were a normal couple out with their daughter, just like that lady had. But they were just a CO and his 2IC, and an alien child. They weren't a normal family but with the rest of SG1 and Doctor Fraiser they blended family and somehow that was good enough.

~*~*~*~

For an afternoon at least these three were able to pretend that they were a family. They each had there own dreams. One of having the son back that he had lost. The other of having a family someday. And the last of having her family back. Those dreams were just that, dreams, but for this day, they'd pretend.

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_Author's Note- As always thanks for reading and if you liked it let me know! I have one more tag left and then the solitudes tag!_


	14. Flyboy

**Set after **_**Enigma**_

**Flyboy**

'I'm so tired of those high and mighty types.' Jack thought to himself. The Tollans were more technologically more advanced then they were, but they wouldn't share. Jack was a big fan of sharing…stuff. But he hated to admit it, it probably was a good idea that they hadn't shared any of it, it was bad enough Colonel Maybourne had wanted to keep them here indefinitely. No wonder the Nox thought they were very young. 'People like Maybourne give humans a bad name.' Jack thought to himself.

Jack was bored and decided to find someone to annoy. 'Because that's what I do best' Jack thought to himself. So he figured he'd go find his favorite person to annoy, Samantha Carter. But when he went to her lab, he found it empty. 'That's odd. She's always in her lab.' They weren't scheduled to go off world for a few hours and she always came early to work. Jack was curious to where she might be so he went to see Daniel.

"Hey Daniel have you seen Carter?" Jack said as he walked into Daniel's lab.

"Uh no, why?" Daniel asked confused.

"I went to her lab and she wasn't there." Jack said slightly concerned.

"You know Jack she does have a life."

Jack pretended to look shocked.

"She even kissed that Narium guy." Daniel said absently.

Alright now Jack _was_ shocked.

"She did?" he said confused.

"Yeah I ran into them kissing in the gateroom. I wonder if she misses him." Daniel said sadly.

"Uh thanks Daniel." Jack said leaving the room.

'Sam kissed Narim? She liked him?' Jack asked himself. He had never figured that she would like someone like Narium…and try as he may he couldn't help feeling a bit jealous.

And it still didn't answer where she was. Then he remembered that Sam had taken Narium up to the surface and going on a hunch he went there.

~*~*~*~

'Well that's a first for you.' Sam thought. Kissed by a man from a different planet. Somehow she never thought she'd be saying that. And it was a nice kiss, but that was all it was.

Sam's thoughts turned to the time that she had kissed Colonel O'Neill when she was infected with that virus, and she blushed. 'Now that was a good kiss.' Sam thought smugly. All right so she'd attacked him but for the briefest of moments Jack had kissed her back.

"Hey Carter." A voice suddenly said from behind her, and she whirled around to face him. 'How did he know I was up here?' Sam wondered.

"Whatja doin?" Jack asked.

"Just taking in my surroundings." She said.

"It's trees." He said walking up towards her.

"And stars." She said defensively.

"Thinking about Narium?" Jack asked.

"Now why would you…" Sam said.

"Daniel told me about uh the incident in the control room." Jack admitted.

"Oh." Sam said embarrassed. Technically she had been thinking about _Jack _but she couldn't admit that to him.

"It didn't mean anything. It was just a kiss" Sam said.

"Sam, who you do and do not kiss is really none of my business." Jack told her.

"Of course sir. But…" Realizing what she was about to say she stopped.

"You know you are allowed to have a life outside of the SGC."

"I do sir." She said not believing it herself.

Jack looked at her and raised his brow.

"Alright I don't." Sam admitted.

"I'm surprised some nice geek hasn't already snatched you up." Jack said without thinking.

"I'm more of a flyboy type sir."

~*~*~*~

'Flyboy ah?' Jack couldn't help but grin. That described him pretty good.

Sam realizing what she said, gasped. "Oh! Uh sir I didn't mean it like that." Sam said embarrassed.

"I know, don't worry about it."

Sam sighed with relief.

Jack though couldn't keep the smile of his face. 'So she goes for my type…' Thought it's not like she could actually have Jack, even if she wanted to. The regulations were still there and all. But at least Jack knew that she actually went for his type.

"So I guess I'll leave you to watch the stars." Jack said turning to leave.

"Actually sir…if you don't mind, can you stay? It's kind of quiet out here." And the guards guarding the door didn't really talk that much.

"I'd be happy to." Jack told her as he came to stand beside her once again. They both smiled at each other and then turned there faces to the stars.

~*~*~*~

Neither one knew that even with the regulations there hearts were slowly becoming entwined, with each passing day and with each passing moment.

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_Author's Note- Thanks for reading and if you liked it let me know! _


	15. If Things Had Been Different

_Author's Note- This is Part 1 of 2 of the tag to solitudes, hope you all like it! The next part should be up soon._

**Set during **_**Solitudes**_

**If Things Had Been Different**

'All things considering there are worse ways to die.' Captain Samantha Carter thought to herself. Right now Colonel Jack O'Neill and her were snuggled together on an ice planet trying to share body heat. There was no hope that they were going to get out of this one, since they were stuck on a freezing planet with no civilization in sight. And the colonel was slowly fading away. He had broken ribs, a broken leg and internal bleeding and he was going to die here and she was going to have to watch him.

He had ordered her to leave him and she had but once she realized that she wouldn't find any life out there she had come back. And then he had called her Sara, his Ex-wife.

'He still loves her.' Sam thought. The stupid part of her that was attracted to him had hurt a bit knowing he still loved her. But if him thinking that she was Sara would comfort him she would gladly be Sara, no matter how much it hurt her. She didn't want to watch this man die but at least she was here with him, he wouldn't have to die alone.

~*~*~*~

Even in his very bad condition, he knew who was here by his side. She might look a bit like Sara but Sam wasn't her. And Jack was okay with that. Why he had called her Sara he wasn't really sure.

He wasn't worried about his own death, but rather of the woman next to him, when he died she would be left here alone. He'd hold on as long as he could…for her. 'She shouldn't have to die this way.' Jack thought to himself. She was the leading expert on the stargate, and here she was stuck here with him. If there was any chance that they were going to get out of here she would have found it.

Jack smirked a little bit, at least he hadn't gotten stuck here with Daniel or Teal'c. Because this little cuddle would not have been enjoyable with them. Although it wasn't that enjoyable now, he couldn't feel most of the parts of his body. But the thought that she was with him here in this situation that they were in, snuggled together made it enjoyable. If Jack thought that they were going to get back then he would have considered the ramifications of his thoughts, but he didn't. They were going to die here and he wasn't going to feel guilty about his attraction to her.

"Captain…did I ever tell you…how beautiful you are?" He said weakly.

~*~*~*~

'He's delirious.' She thought anxiously. Well more delirious then he already was.

"Um no sir." She said nervously.

"You are." Jack told her.. "No… I'm wrong."

Sam blinked and her heart plummeted. She was just about to say thank you and now he was taking it back.

"Beautiful doesn't begin…to describe you."

Sam blinked again. "Thank you sir." She said uncertainly.

This should have made her nervous…but it didn't. It seemed right that they should be talking about this thing between them.

"If you were just another scientist…I would have…asked you out." Jack confessed weakly.

'Oh…wow.' Sam thought. Crushing disappointment hit her in an instant. She wasn't just another scientist, she was his 2IC and he couldn't ask her out because of them both being in the same chain of command.

"I would have said yes." Sam said honestly.

"Really?" Jack whispered.

'Well you mine as well be honest.' Sam thought. "Yes sir."

"I thought…it was just me." Jack said.

Sam shook her head no.

"If things had been different…" He trailed off.

Yeah Sam imagined it to. Imagined being held by this man, kissed by this man. 'If only.' She thought. She'd love this man in her life that way, she wasn't sure why exactly but she knew deep in her heart she would. This man was different then others that she had meet.

They were going to die on this planet, without having a chance to explore the attraction between them. And even _if_ they got off this hunk of ice there were still the regulations in place.

"I'll regret that." Sam said suddenly. "Never being able to express this thing between us."

"Me...too." Jack said. "Sam…I need…sleep." He crocked out.

Sam knew what he meant, that he was saying he wanted to go to sleep, and if he did that, he might not wake up.

"Alright Jack." She said leaning over and kissing his cheek.

Sam was tired too, but not as weak as Jack, and she prayed that if she woke up again, that this man would still be alive next to her. She leaned her head against his shoulder and tears spilled down her cheek, freezing there. She fell asleep to the weak beating of his heart.

~*~*~*~

Neither one knew that in just a short time they would be out of that mess. And all they had to do was hold on just a little bit more.

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_Author's Note- Thanks for reading and let me know if you liked it!_


	16. Right By Your Side

_Author's Note- This is part 2 of 2 of the singularity tag. _

**Set after **_**Singularity**_

**Right By Your Side**

_Beep. Beep. Beep._ 'What the hell?' Colonel Jack O'Neill thought as he struggled to regain consciousness. Heaven wasn't supposed to be this annoying. But he figured he must be dead because Sam wasn't by his side. 'She's not here.' Jack thought concerned. Where had she went? Had something happened to her? This gave him the motivation he needed to fully regain consciousness.

_Beep. Beep. Beep. _Suddenly Jack knew what the annoying Beeping was. It was the heart rate monitor that was attached to him monitoring his vital signs. Jack opened his eyes and looked around the SGC infirmary and his gaze landed on his second in command. 'Who you told was way more then beautiful.' Jack groaned out loud. Maybe she would think it was dying man's confession on his death bed…or more accurate, his icy death bed.

Sam got up off the bed that she was sitting on and walked over to his side.

"How are you doing sir?" She said laying one of her hands on the bed next to his.

"Not so good, you?" He said as his index finger stroked her middle finger.

"I'm okay." She said swallowing.

'Hmm interesting.' He thought as he saw her reaction to what he was doing to her hand. He really wasn't supposed to hold her hand but at least a part of him was touching her and if someone came in through the door, all they would have to do was move their hands a few inches.

"How'd they find us?" He asked.

"Well sir the gate was actually in Antarctica. And when we tried to dial home the SGC's chevrons glowed. And to make a long story short they were able to pinpoint our location by the energy that the gate admitted when we tried dialing in."

"Ah. Well I knew where we were all along." Jack said teasing her.

"Of course sir." She said sarcastically.

"Is that sarcasm I hear from a subordinate to a CO?" He said messing with her.

She just grinned at him.

"Uh Carter can you help me up a bit here?" He said realizing he couldn't move so well by himself when he had a cast on his leg.

"Sure." Sam said as she helped him get up and rest his back on the wall behind him.

'Oh hang the regs!' Jack thought.

She released him and went to take a step back when Jack grabbed her elbow and brought her into a hug.

~*~*~*~

Sam was surprised when Jack had wrapped his arms around her, and she was surprised that he had done it in a public place but she hugged him back. They had just been through a terrible ordeal and if someone wanted to report them because of a hug that they were sharing then so be it.

"We're okay." Jack whispered in her ear.

"We're okay." She repeated.

They pulled away and Sam was shocked by the emotions that were in his expressive brown eyes. Normally he had a wall up so she couldn't see them, but now…now she could see something in his eyes directed at her that she couldn't define. Jack must have realized what he was allowing her to see because the invisible wall was back up in a second.

"So what happened while I was out?" Jack said changing the subject.

"Well we were rescued and spent about a week in McMurdo, it was touch and go there for a while sir, we thought we were going to lose you." Sam said her thoughts far away.

She had been so afraid that after finally being rescued and having the hope that Jack was going to be okay, that he would die anyway. After being in McMurdo's infirmary for a day and being cleared she had went to the Colonel's side and hadn't left him since.

Sam cleared her thoughts and continued. "After you had stabilized they flew us back to the SGC, where we've been for the past three days."

Jack looked at her for a moment, trying to read her expression.

'He knows that I wouldn't leave him.' She thought to herself. She knew she looked bad and that she probably should have gotten some rest, but she couldn't. Not till he was awake and she could hear for herself that he was going to make it.

"You stayed by my side the whole time." He said awed.

Sam looked to the ground and nodded a yes.

Jack lifted a hand and tenderly placed it beneath her chin, titling her head up so that she was forced to look into his eyes.

"Sam…you need rest." He whispered.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay." Sam said emotions clouding her voice.

"I'm okay. Now go get some sleep." He ordered her.

"Yes sir." Instead of heading out the door though she laid down on the medical bed right next to his.

'I can't leave him.' She told herself. She just couldn't, not after what they had been through together. She'd have to leave him sometime, just not right now. He could still be in danger and she wanted to be here if something happened.

"What I said back there…I meant it." Jack said suddenly looking at her.

"Me too." Sam whispered back.

Jack smiled softly at her and said "Go to sleep."

"Alright." She said closing her eyes.

~*~*~*~

Jack watched her fall asleep, watched her rhythmic breathing and he couldn't help but smile.

'We're okay.' He thought as he drifted off.

'And Sam is right by your side.' Jack drifted off with a smile on his face.

~*~*~*~

Both of them were content. They couldn't act on what they felt but they were alive and well. And both of them had an inclining that they weren't going to be the same after this. A bond had been formed between them and nothing would be able to break it.

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_Author's Note- Hope you all enjoyed this one! Thanks for reading and if you liked it let me know!_


	17. They Had Each Other

**Set after **_**Tinman**_

**They Had Each Other**

'Here I am stuck on this God forsaken planet.' Captain Samantha Carter thought to herself. But she wasn't _the _Samantha Carter, no she was only a robot, a copy of the real Samantha. She had every single one of her memories, felt everything she felt, but she wasn't alive. She was her exact counterpart in looks and she like her counterpart had an attraction for her CO. Well her android CO anyway.

The real her as well as the rest of SG1 had been copied by Harlen and had been sent back through the stargate. They had never had an inclining that they weren't the real SG1 till they had tests done back on earth and confirmed that they were mechanical copies. The real SG1 had been awakened and sent back to earth, with the promise that they would bury the gate.

She wasn't so sure that was going to happen though as she walked up to the copy of Colonel Jack O'Neill as he stared at the gate. "What are you thinking sir?" She said as she stepped up next to him.

"Just that we can never go back. We're stuck on this planet." He told her.

"You know sir we don't have to…" She stopped what she was saying. She knew he already had the same thought, that they didn't have to bury the gate.

"Cut the sir, Sam. That's not needed now."

"Of course…Jack." His name sounded sweet on her lips.

"There is one good thing though in this whole mess." Jack said.

"Oh. What?"

"We can be together." Jack said honestly.

~*~*~*~

'There I said it.' Jack thought to himself. As much as he knew he was going to miss the Simpsons and Guinness, he was well aware that he had the same feelings the Colonel had. Which meant that he still very much was attracted to his 2IC. 'She'd not that now.' Jack reminded himself.

No here they could just be Sam and Jack, they didn't work for the Air Force and there weren't regulations in place.

Jack grabbed her hand and said "If that's what you want."

"Yes." Sam said smiling her killer smile at him.

'Odd.' Jack thought. He felt a tingle when he held her hand in his, just like he remembered from the real Colonel's memories. From the look she sent him she had felt it too.

"Now normally I'd take you out on a romantic dinner but it seems that for one we don't need to eat and two that there's not too many romantic spots around these here parts." He told her.

"That's alright Jack. We don't need that." Sam said.

Sam was right, Jack thought. All they really needed was each other.

"So where would you like to go on our first date mademoiselle?" Jack said grinning at her.

"Wherever, though we still have the stargate, we can go anywhere really." Sam told him.

"Very true. And I was thinking if a certain Astrophysicist would design some plans for a new power back, we may even be able to go on missions." He said.

"I may be able to mange that." Sam said as she stepped closer to him. She raised her lips to his and kissed him. It was tentative at first but sparks were soon going off. Sam wrapped her arms around his neck and Jack dipped her. Even as androids the attraction was still there. Jack broke the kiss and grinned down at her, maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

~*~*~*~

The real ones still had the regulations but for at least this time, they knew that this would be how it was for the real them. And they were content in the knowledge that they were able to be together, and they'd cherish that. They would be just find, for they had each other and that always made everything, just a little bit better.

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_Author's Note- Thanks for reading and if you liked it let me know! Next up 'There But For the Grace of God'!_


	18. A Different Path

**Set during **_**There But for the Grace of God**_

**A Different Path**

Doctor Samantha Carter was more then a little scared. The Goa'uld had just landed on Cheyenne Mountain, and they were starting to infiltrate it. So many people had died, all around the world. And the stargate was their only line of defense. And then there was this man Daniel Jackson who claimed he was from an alternate reality.

'Well the wedding is going to be put on hold.' She thought to herself. She hadn't thought about that for days and she sighed knowing the likelihood of her becoming Mrs. Jack O'Neill was diminishing with every minute.

"Sir can I see you in your office for a minute?" She asked General Jack O'Neill.

"Of course." He said as he followed her into his office. He shut the door behind them and opened his arms to her. She walked into them and he held her for several long moments, his face buried in her long blonde hair.

'He might not come back.' She thought to herself as her eyes filled with tears. Her own death she wasn't concerned about, what she was though was not being able to be with this man who held her in his arms. Jack's arms were around her waist and Sam's hands were fingering his BDU's. Suddenly Sam realized something. "Jack…I'm a Captain in Daniel Jackson's reality."

~*~*~*~

Jack had been through a lot lately and he intended to savor every stolen moment with his Fiancée.

"Your point?" He asked.

"We wouldn't be able to be together in his reality." She said glancing up at his face.

Jack suddenly understood. The Frat Regs would be in place. And Jack knew her well enough to know what she was worried about. There was a good chance that one or both of them were going to die soon, and she would take comfort in knowing that somewhere out there at least another one set of themselves were together.

"I couldn't imagine not loving you." She whispered.

Jack knew in the deep recesses of his heart, that no matter what happened to him in another reality, he would always love this woman. Even if there were regulations in place. He wouldn't be able to help himself. She completed him in a way that no one ever could. 'No one could ever take her place.' He thought to himself.

"Samantha, I'll love you no matter what reality I'm in." He told her sincerely.

~*~*~*~

Sam searched his eyes and knew that he was completely serious and that she believed him.

He moved his hands to each side of her face and leaned down to kiss her. Sam groaned and responded to the kiss, knowing it could be there last. She loved this man completely, with every fiber of her being. And it broke her heart to thing that in a different reality a stupid thing such as rules might keep them apart.

"There's a good chance I might not make it back." He whispered as he broke the kiss.

"I know." She said tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I love you, Sam. I love you more then anything." He said sincerely.

"I love you too. You're the best thing that's happened."

Jack smirked at her. "I thought the best thing was the stargate program?" He said teasing her.

Sam smiled at him. "That's the best thing because it brought me to you."

"I see." Jack said breaking out into a grin.

"We better go." Sam told him sighing.

"Yeah." He said sadly.

Sam went to walk past him and he stopped her. "I'll always love you. Always." Jack said.

"For always." Sam whispered and they walked out to face their reality together.

~*~*~*~

These two lives may have been cut short but the other reality of them were alive and well. And what they would soon learn was that somewhere out there, a different version of themselves had fallen in love with each other. And what happens in one reality, was bound to happen in another.

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_Author's Note- Thanks for reading and let me know if you liked it!_


	19. The Lies They Told Their Hearts

**Set during **_**Politics**_

**Lies They Told Their Hearts**

Colonel Jack O'Neill still hadn't quite gotten over what Daniel had said had transpired in the alternate reality. Sam and himself had been engaged. The fact that there were alternate realities out there was easier to comprehend then that little fact.

Somewhere out there a Samantha Carter and a Jack O'Neill had fallen in love and had been able to express their feelings. Rules hadn't stood in their way but then again that Sam wasn't in the military. And their world had also been taken over by the Goa'uld.

'Maybe it's for the best that she's in the Air Force.' He thought to himself. Oh sure he loved having her on his team, but he was attracted to her as well. And if she wasn't in his chain of command then… 'No stop thinking like that.' He chided himself. It wasn't going to do any good. Sam was in the Air Force and when it all came down to it, that could mean the difference in this reality.

Jack slowly buttoned his service dress and gave a shake of his head to clear his thoughts. He had bigger things to worry about like the very real possibly that the Stargate program could get shut down. 'Simons and his bureaucratic bull.' Jack thought as he walked out of the men's locker room, headed to the briefing room.

"Hi sir." Sam said as she joined him, matching his long stride.

'Why does that woman have to look so damn good in Service Dress?' Jack asked himself. Hey he might be her CO but he was also a man and he noticed attractive woman. And this woman was one of the most attractive woman that he'd seen in a long time.

"Hey Carter. So what do you think about them trying to shut us down?" He asked.

"It's ridiculous. The Stargate is this planets only line of defense and if Daniel's right…" Sam said as her voice trailed off.

"Is he right? For all he knows he could have dreamed if up…or something."

"The physics fits sir. For every choice we make there could be hundreds of different realities out there." She said.

Jack decided not to think about that. Because it would only bring back the guilt about Charlies death. If he'd kept the gun locked up…if they'd gotten to the hospital sooner…Jack gave a mental shake of his head. No matter what might have happened in other realities he was living in this one.

"So we're engaged in that reality." Jack said teasing her.

~*~*~*~

'Why did he have to bring that up?' Sam groaned inwardly. That wasn't something she really wanted to talk about.

"So it seems." She said not meeting his eyes.

"Is it just me or does that freak you out just a little bit?" Jack asked her.

"A little bit." She said honestly.

"Somewhere out there you and me fell in love. That's sort of hard to believe." He said shrugging.

"It is?" Sam asked meeting his eyes.

"Isn't it?" He said stopping in his tracks.

Sam swallowed. For her it wasn't that big of a leap. If the regulations hadn't been in the way, she could see it happening. Hell she was attracted to him now, even with the regulations in place. She could definitely see another her, in another place falling in love with this man. But she couldn't tell that to him.

She looked away. "Your right sir, it is hard to believe. We're so…wrong for each other." She said lying through her teeth.

"Completely." He said as he continued walking.

He cleared this throat. "So let's keep this alternate reality thing away from Simons and his goons for the time being okay?" He said as he continued walking.

"Yes sir." She said following after him.

~*~*~*~

They lied through there teeth. They were perfect for each other, they both knew it though neither one would admit it. Someday…they'd find out how perfect. Until then they'd lie to themselves and to their own hearts.

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_Author's Note- My apologizes for not updating this sooner! My muse was working on some other things first! Thanks for reading and if you liked it let me know!_


	20. Needed

**Set during **_**Within the Serpent's Grasp**_

**Needed**

Colonel O'Neill finished putting on his gear. He really couldn't believe that he had actually agreed to this mission. And it wasn't just _any_ mission. The whole planet's survival could rest on the completion of it.

'No pressure.' Jack thought sarcastically. And even if they did manage to stop the Goa'uld invasion, it was highly unlikely that they'd be able to step through the stargate again, since they were directly violation orders.

Jack's mind went back to what his 2IC had said, they were in gross violation of orders and would get a court-martial the second they got back. Should he allow her to go on this mission? Her career was relatively young while who knew how long he had left in his career.

And if they got back alive, her career would be ruined. He thought too highly of her to let that happen. He might not have ordered her on this mission, but if they got back he'd feel completely guilty that her career got hurt in the process. He was after all her CO, he could order her to remain behind.

The male members of SG-1 walked out of the locker room and joined Sam. Finally it was time to start the mission and they walked to the control room.

"Listen Daniel, Teal'c can I talk to Sam alone for a moment?" Jack asked them.

"Sure." Daniel said as he walked up the stairs that led to the control room, Teal'c close behind him.

~*~*~*~

'I wonder what he wants to talk to me about?' Sam asked herself, swallowing nervously.

Jack looked at her and took a deep breath. "Sam I understand if you don't want to go on this mission." He told her.

"I'm a part of SG-1 sir. I'm needed on this mission" She said fervently.

Jack shifted from one foot to the other. "Captain you understand that if we get back, your career will be ruined?"

Sam stiffened. "I'm well aware of that sir. And I'm willing to take that risk."

Jack looked her up and down and nodded in acknowledgement. "Alright let's get this show on the road." He said as he walked up the stairs that led to the control room.

Sam followed him and let out a small sigh of relief. She was afraid for a moment there that he was going to order her to stay behind. She wasn't sure what she would have done if he would have given her that order. She couldn't let the rest of SG-1 risk their lives like that and not risk her own in the process. That wasn't the kind of person that she was.

Sam's mind suddenly went in a different direction entirely. If they got back alive and if they somehow managed not to get a court-martial, the Stargate program was shut down. And they'd be out of each others chain of command. Maybe then they could act on the attraction between them…

Sam shook her head to clear her thoughts. Those were big 'if's. And right now there were bigger things to worry about. Like the fate of this universe.

~*~*~*~

The fate of the universe was important, but what each one couldn't help thinking, that maybe when this was all said in done, they could finally explore the attraction between them. Whether it be in days or in years, someday they'd be out of each others chain of command. And then there would be…sparks.

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_Author's Note- Thanks for reading and if you liked it let me know! Also look for 'Missing Links 2'!_


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